Yuan Ruan’s big, round eyes sparkled:

【Quick! Quickly check what it is!】

System: 【Dun dun dun dun! Let me see… Wow, this divine power is amazing. You can now control lightning!】

Everyone was dumbfounded: !!!

What?! Control lightning?!

Did they hear that right?!

The court officials’ faces turned red with excitement. They couldn’t help but sneak glances at Yuan Ruan. No wonder she was revered as the Nation Preceptor by His Majesty. A divine power like this—how could it possibly exist in the mortal world?

The Emperor straightened his back and shot a stern look at the court officials before turning Yuan Ruan to face away from them.

Even Yuan Ruan was shocked.

What?! Her second divine power was something this powerful?!

After the initial surprise, she hesitated:

【System, this won’t be as tricky as the flying ability, right?】

System: 【Ah Ruan, even if it’s tricky, it’s still lightning! It’s the divine punishment of nature! Imagine using this move during Sacrificial Ceremony at the altar! You’ll basically ascend on the spot!】

Yuan Ruan briefly imagined the scene and couldn’t help shivering with delight:

【Ahhhh! I really want to try it!】

The officials’ gazes burned with anticipation, screaming inwardly: Ahhhh! Just try it already!

Even the usually composed Crown Prince couldn’t help but tug gently at the Emperor’s sleeve. In a low voice, he said, “Father, you must be tired. Why don’t you let me hold Ninth Sister for a while?” He wanted a closer look.

Second Uncle also stepped forward, coughing lightly. “This little… young girl looks just like a celestial child under the feet of Guanyin. She exudes an extraordinary aura. Why don’t you let this old man hold her for a bit?”

Even the Second Prince, who had been resenting Yuan Ruan earlier, now found himself sneaking glances at her with a guilty expression.

Who could resist the ultimate temptation of witnessing someone wield lightning up close? Certainly not the Crown Prince, Second Uncle, or Second Prince.

The Emperor, though just as thrilled, knew Yuan Ruan and the system’s personalities well. They would never display such powers in front of so many people.

Sure enough, the system passionately advised:

【Ah Ruan, calm down! Practicing in private is fine, but are you sure you want to reveal this in front of so many people? What about the Sacrificial Ceremony? Without a new divine power to showcase, how will you amaze everyone?】

Yuan Ruan: 【That makes sense. But I still want to try! Maybe I’ll strike the Second Prince first!】

The Second Prince: !!!

What the hell?! Why me?!

Everyone’s eyes lit up: !!!

They hadn’t expected the Second Prince to still have some use.

The system nodded repeatedly:

【Good idea! Others might mistake it for divine punishment. By the way, I just went through the mission details and realized why this national fortune mission focused on the Second Prince. It turns out he’s one of the key turning points in Da Xia decline.】

Everyone: !!!

What?! That scoundrel of a Second Prince caused the downfall of Da Xia’s national fortune?

The Emperor glared coldly at the Second Prince: Might as well get rid of him. One less son doesn’t matter—I can have more.

The Second Prince: !!!

Ahhhh! What grudge, what vendetta?! Can you all stop targeting me?! Just close your eyes and ignore me already!

Yuan Ruan: 【What?! So, if we capture him today, does that mean Da Xia’s national fortune won’t decline anymore?】

System: 【No, that won’t help. Other nations have their own chosen ones, while Da Xia is like a gathering place for cannon fodder, with low fortune. Without you, the country is doomed. Even if you eliminate the Second Prince, more disasters will arise unless you raise the national fortune to over 200. Besides, the Second Prince’s actions are ridiculous. For example, the protagonists of the Shu Kingdom will go to war with Da Xia because of him.】

The Emperor and Crown Prince staggered in unison.

Second Uncle, stunned, accidentally pulled out one of his beard hairs.

Everyone turned to glare at the Second Prince.

Him?

He could cause a war between nations?!

Yuan Ruan: 【Hiss, why?】

System: 【Here’s the thing. The Second Prince is the female protagonist’s first love, her “white moonlight.” After the Shu Kingdom’s female protagonist escapes, the male protagonist of Shu assumes she fled because of the Second Prince. In retaliation, he launches an attack on Xia. Seeing an opportunity, the Chen Kingdom and Xiongnu join in, leading to severe damage to Xia.】

Everyone’s faces were filled with shock.

For a moment, they didn’t know whether to criticize the Shu Kingdom’s impulsive male protagonist for starting a war or mock the female protagonist for her poor taste.

The Second Prince, noticing the disdainful looks directed at him, showed his first expression of exasperation of the day. He was almost shouting: He didn’t want to be their white moonlight! He didn’t even know who she was!

Yuan Ruan: 【So imprisoning the Second Prince essentially stops him from rescuing the Shu Kingdom’s female protagonist? Wouldn’t that prevent the Shu Kingdom from attacking Xia?】

System: 【No. The Second Prince never intended to rescue the female protagonist. In fact, he took credit for saving her while waiting by the roadside for someone else. That’s how he became her white moonlight. If he can’t leave, the story ends there.】

The officials glared at the Second Prince again, their disdain deepening: Typical of his behavior.

The Emperor, however, seemed to be in deep thought. If eliminating the Second Prince wouldn’t resolve the problem and might lead to more issues, it would be better to let him follow his original trajectory, keeping him under control.

Just then, Yuan Ruan yawned.

The Emperor suddenly said, “Second Uncle, I’ll leave verifying the silver inventory to you.”

Second Uncle cupped his hands and replied, “I understand.”

The Emperor then turned to the other officials. “As for today’s events, I will handle them with the utmost seriousness. In the meantime, return to your residences and address your personal matters.”

The court officials immediately bowed and said, “Yes, Your Majesty.”

The Emperor’s gaze fell on the Second Prince, who looked at him with eyes full of pleading and didn’t miss the chance to beg for mercy. “Father! Father, I am your own flesh and blood! I am willing to atone for my sins with meritorious deeds! Father!”

The Emperor narrowed his eyes before saying, “You should have been removed from the jade registry, stripped of your status as a prince, and imprisoned for life. But I will give you one chance.”

The Second Prince was ecstatic, but in the very next moment, he froze at the Emperor’s words.

What?

He was to willingly act as bait?!

…

One day later, it was as if the capital of Da Xia had undergone a massive upheaval.

Outside the capital, countless opera troupes were raided by Da Xia soldiers. While the female performers, such as the qingyi and huadan roles, were spared, all the male performers, including those in wusheng roles, were taken away. Most of them would not return, as they were exiled to the borderlands to build city walls.

The once-bustling riverside opera houses and flower boats of the capital now kept their heads down, barely daring to make a sound. At night, they didn’t even dare to light their lanterns.

Inside the capital, on the illustrious East Chang’an Street where nobles resided, chaos reigned.

Though every household had its doors tightly shut, Da Xia soldiers could be seen from time to time entering and exiting through side doors to move things. Occasionally, loud arguments erupted from the main halls, making it clear that even these houses were in disarray.

Nearby, in the Chen Kingdom, the Shu Kingdom, and among the feudal lords of the Day Xia, countless eyes turned toward the capital.

“A coup has taken place in the Da Xia?”

“Could it be that the Emperor has passed away and the Crown Prince’s power was seized by the Second Prince?”

“But the Da Xia officials are indeed loyal to their nation. Even with the chaos in the capital, the Minister of Agriculture is still researching new plant species.”

…

If any senior officials from Da Xia overheard this, they would scoff and retort, “Who has time to cause trouble?!”

They were already overwhelmed trying to identify mistresses and confirm who had slept with whom, while also verifying the exact amounts of hidden silver. Even appointments to handle these matters needed to be scheduled.

If the Second Prince heard these remarks, he would undoubtedly be furious. At this moment, he was dressed in a jade crown and a white fox-fur robe, styled to look clean and handsome. But he was sitting dejectedly, staking out the Shu Kingdom’s female protagonist.

…

Meanwhile, Yuan Ruan had just returned to the palace and was being showered with affection by Consort Rong and the Seventh Princess.

She enjoyed a life of ultimate pampering, with food delivered to her, clothes put on for her, and four palace maids tending to her every need with massages and care.

Comfortable as it was, however…

She hadn’t found a moment of solitude and thus hadn’t had a chance to play with her newly acquired divine power.

Finally, on the third day, at three in the morning—the day they were to set off for Mount Jiujun—the Emperor unexpectedly arrived at Zhaoyang Palace with officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Astronomical Bureau.

Yuan Ruan was dug out of her cozy bed by Consort Rong.

Yawning, Yuan Ruan looked up and saw a crowd of people. She overheard the Emperor saying, “Consort Rong, step aside. It’s almost time for the Heaven and Earth Altar at Mount Jiujun. Let the Ministry of Rites and the Astronomical Bureau familiarize themselves with Ah Ruan.”

Yuan Ruan froze:

【Oh no, they’re not going to teach me ceremony etiquette, are they?!】

Though the Astronomical Bureau officials had heard about this ability from their colleagues, this was their first time hearing Yuan Ruan’s inner thoughts directly. They couldn’t help but glance at her.

【Why are they staring at me?! Don’t tell me they’re planning to trick me into completing some ceremonial rituals? My little arms and legs can’t handle it!】

The Astronomical Bureau officials nearly burst out laughing.

The Emperor sighed helplessly. “Let the Ministry of Rites and the Astronomical Bureau adjust the Heaven and Earth Altar according to Ah Ruan’s size. There’s no need to inconvenience her.”

Yuan Ruan instantly felt at ease. I’m the one in charge here! She calmed down immediately.

The officials from the Ministry of Rites began observing where Yuan Ruan liked to crawl, while the Astronomical Bureau officials measured the proportions of her arms and legs.

No one knew exactly what they were doing, but after about half an hour, Yuan Ruan was carried to a small stream with a waterfall. On either side of her were two lotus-shaped incense lamps. Her tiny bottom was sprinkled with the cascading stream water.

The palace maids bowed and retreated three meters behind a white curtain.

Yuan Ruan strongly suspected this was a scaled-down purification bath ritual meant to precede the grand ceremony.

But she was thrilled—finally, she had some time alone.

After a while, a sudden “bang!” and several startled “eek eek eek!” noises erupted from the bath area.

The palace maids were alarmed and rushed inside.